The.. Kappa Alpha Order issued new rules to chapters earlier this year saying members aren’t allowed to wear Rebel uniforms to parties or during their parades, which are a staple on campuses across the South.

The decision… followed a flap last year at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, where a black sorority complained after a KA parade stopped in front of its house on campus. KA members were dressed in the gray uniforms of Confederate officers, and young women wore hoop skirts.

In the memo to chapters, Kappa Alpha’s national executive director, Larry Wiese, said [that], “In today’s climate, the Order can ill afford to offend our host institutions and fend off significant negative national press and remain effective at our core mission, which is to aid young men in becoming better community leaders and citizens.”

Kappa Alpha Order was founded on December 21, 1865, at Washington College in Lexington, Virginia. Robert E. Lee, the former commander of the Confederate military, was then the school’s president.

The KA chapter at the University of Alabama cancelled the Old South Parade this year though, according to the Reeves article, there’s still a Confederate flag covering part of the fraternity’s chapter house.[Image via]